CASLI Simultaneous Interpreting 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During a simultaneous interpreting task on the CASLI performance exam, an interpreter encounters an unfamiliar proper noun. The best approach is to:
- Fingerspell or voice the proper noun as accurately as possible and continue (Correct answer)
- Omit the proper noun to avoid errors
- Stop and ask the source speaker to spell the name
- Replace the proper noun with a generic descriptor
Correct answer: Fingerspell or voice the proper noun as accurately as possible and continue
Fingerspelling or voicing an unfamiliar proper noun preserves the information and signals transparency to consumers, while omitting it constitutes a significant error of omission.
Question 2: In ASL-to-English simultaneous interpreting, which ASL grammatical feature most commonly challenges English output timing?
- Non-manual markers for negation
- Topicalization placed at the beginning of an ASL sentence (Correct answer)
- Classifier predicates describing motion
- Directional verbs indicating subject and object
Correct answer: Topicalization placed at the beginning of an ASL sentence
ASL topicalization places the topic first, which can delay the interpreter's ability to produce a coherent English sentence until the comment portion is received.
Question 3: What is 'anticipation' as a simultaneous interpreting strategy?
- Predicting likely upcoming content based on context and discourse structure (Correct answer)
- Asking the speaker in advance for their script
- Pre-reading all materials before the assignment begins
- Guessing a speaker's next word based on lip movement
Correct answer: Predicting likely upcoming content based on context and discourse structure
Anticipation involves using contextual, linguistic, and situational knowledge to predict what a speaker will say next, reducing processing lag.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes 'semantic equivalence' in a simultaneous interpreting evaluation?
- Using the same number of words in both source and target
- Conveying the same meaning and intent as the source message (Correct answer)
- Producing grammatically correct sentences in the target language
- Matching the emotional tone of the speaker exactly
Correct answer: Conveying the same meaning and intent as the source message
Semantic equivalence means the interpreted message carries the same informational content and intent as the source, regardless of structural or lexical differences.
Question 5: A CASLI candidate interpreting a medical presentation simultaneously omits several numbers and dosage amounts. This would primarily be scored as a deficit in which area?
- Pragmatic Appropriateness
- Message Equivalence / Completeness (Correct answer)
- Prosody and Fluency
- Register Matching
Correct answer: Message Equivalence / Completeness
Omitting specific factual details like numbers and dosages constitutes a completeness failure under the message equivalence domain.
Question 6: When working in a team during a simultaneous interpreting assignment, what is the primary role of the 'support interpreter'?
- Handle all consumer questions during breaks
- Monitor the working interpreter and provide assistance such as vocabulary support (Correct answer)
- Interpret non-verbal communication for the audience
- Transcribe the source text for later review
Correct answer: Monitor the working interpreter and provide assistance such as vocabulary support
The support interpreter observes the working interpreter, offers missed vocabulary or corrections via discreet cues, and prepares to take over at the rotation point.
Question 7: In simultaneous interpreting, 'shadowing' exercises are used primarily to develop which skill?
- Vocabulary expansion in the target language
- The ability to listen and repeat source content with minimal delay (Correct answer)
- Note-taking speed during consecutive interpreting
- Cultural adaptation of idiomatic expressions
Correct answer: The ability to listen and repeat source content with minimal delay
Shadowing trains the interpreter to maintain a close, real-time echo of incoming speech, building the divided-attention and processing speed required for simultaneous work.
CASLI Simultaneous Interpreting 3
During a simultaneous interpreting task on the CASLI performance exam, an interpreter encounters an unfamiliar proper noun.
The best approach is to: